Gosh darn critters....

 Well it was a beautiful day today but still cold and breezy. Very cold to my feeling and doesn't do the new seedlings any favors either.

Most of the clouds are gone from this  morning, no rain in sight so going to be very cold with no cloud cover.

I suspect skunk or opossum for sure. Digging for grubs and other bugs in the soil. They love that west bed so I'm going to have to get the wire cutters out and make another end for where the garlic is.

 

The tomato plants are turning purple which is a sign it's too cold for them. No way of keeping them warm right now. Whatever critter got in the bed didn't disturb the soil in the raised bed too much but that also means it is big enough to hop up and over the 20 inch wall. Opossums are rather good at climbing, skunks not so much and skunks are bigger. Which means it's opossum given how they got under the chicken wire on both beds

 

The cilantro that ended up growing in Layla's bed at the border there was almost folded over so I snapped it off, peeled off what leaves it had and then tossed the stem behind the jade bush. It'll look like an animal ate it. Need to find the last of my cilantro seeds, and if I used them up already that calls for a trip to the library and hope they have some. Have to make a run to HD tomorrow for cleaner and kitchen bags so might grab a package of seeds there. 

Everything smoothed out and tucked in again, here's hoping they aren't disturbed. A better shot of the three compost stages. Front bucket is compost mostly with some large bits here and there, could use a good screening.  Middle bucket is half and half, mostly smaller bits with some compost and the back one is all brown branches and uncomposted material. I'll probably take the shovel to that the next warm day that might happen. Still need to get that corner straightened out and organized. I just might toss that planter since I'm only using it as a container and most of what is in there is scrabbled and pieces of things I was going to use. The brown plastic bag is potatoes that sprouted but they're now shriveling up and drying rather than growing. 

Spring is happening in fits and starts. I can't plant anything in the ground beds and it's still way too cold for anything else other than maybe lettuces and leafy things. Even so, it's like winter temps right now, hoping for sun tomorrow for a warming spell.

 

The weather it's a-changing....

 After it being warm enough for almost a week I had switched to shorts, the last three days it's been cold and cloudy and today, misty, drizzly rain.

Tree from yesterday with mostly blue skies, but it got windy in the afternoon and overnight so here we are, socked in like 'the clouds fell'. It's not that cold, still breezy but nice temperature. Looks like I don't have to water the garden for a few days. Just watered day before yesterday.

Indian Hawthorns are in full bloom and so is the lemon bush. It's got more flowers on it than last year for sure and I know it's expanded at least a foot in the past two years. I didn't realize how much it was blooming until I smelled a wonderful fragrance on the breeze as I walked by. I turned around and not only were there tons of flowers but I could hear the bees! The bees are also in the Liquidambar trees because I saw and heard them as well.

And because it's raining today I can't get pictures of my compost buckets. I went down with the tarp yesterday evening (yester eve??) to get them dumped and it wasn't so bad. One bucket had a really good compost built up but I need a sifter because there were rocks, eggshells, sticks and big pieces of bark. The second bucket not as much compost but still a good amount. So I separated all the uncomposted plant matter and stuff it in one bucket then divided the actual compost into the other two. Also took some of the trash to the dumpster so it's slowly getting cleaned up.

There's now five or six pepper seedlings, the sweet peas are hanging in there and the lettuces are still rather slow but lots more are breaking the surface. Will see what the weather holds in the next few weeks, getting really late in the season for planting lettuce.

 Before clean up of course but it shows that it was sunny with only a hint of clouds yesterday. I could still try and plant potatoes if I could get some soil in that big crate. Someone in the garden group showed pictures of a pick up at the green waste pile of compost at the dump. I don't need a pick up load, I need about 6 cubic feet. Plans need to be made and supplies acquired before that happens.

Like everything else, takes time and money.

Couldn't help it, the weather made me do it.

 I decided to plant the tomatoes and cucumber. They're looking a bit yellow and with the weather warming up it's a good time to do it. No I didn't get more soil but they'll survive like they have in the past.

Critters day! Leezard from the other day that Rocky spotted and, well camoflauged as they are, a Mourning Dove at the top of the photo framed between the black wire legs of that plant stand.

 

Seedlings are also looking good, I watered them yesterday and noticed lots more lettuces coming up, oh and another pepper is unfolding as well. The sweet peas will hopefully go to daughter this week but have to ask her again if she's prepared for them. If not......don't know what to do.

I have a feeling that the west bed is going to be for the peppers.

Can you see it? That older onion has a flower coming up. It's not very thick at the base which is why I haven't pulled it yet, but I might do it anyway even though there aren't a lot of leaves. 

The transplants huddled in the middle of the bed before I decided to put them in the soil. I just watered them yesterday and they are bone dry again, which was another deciding factor for them. Soil and fertilizer are on the list of things next month.

 

 

I knew that cucumber would try and flower! I recognized the buds forming and there it is. I nipped it off before I planted it. I tore the peat pots off before planting, will likely toss those in the compost. And yes, I watered very well after they were all planted. I made sure to place that cucumber as close to the middle as possible and now realize it may be too close to the tomatoes. Oh well. Hoping I can get some straw to go around it before the fruit starts growing. Although I don't have as much of a problem with the pill bugs as I did that first year.

 

 

 

Before and after using the shovel to chop the tomatillo stems and other stuff that were on top. Wondering now if I should have watered it afterward. Oh well. Hoping tomorrow I can get the tarp out there and dump at least one bucket into the other empty one (the one with the soil bags I'm using as a trash bucket). Will slowly get that corner more organized and pretty again. Might even hack back some of the jade carefully so as not to arouse suspicions. I heard a 'large' animal  shuffle under the bush the other day. It didn't move much but definitely was not a bird, a lizard wouldn't make that much leaf litter move. That was the last night I had protection on the raised bed just in case it was an opossum or rat. 

Another two weeks and will see how the budget shakes out.

Almost planting time!

 The weather is going to be warm and sunny for the next few days. Skies are blue, the trees are filling out, the birds are singing, another glorious spring day. Officially Spring now.

So I took the chance to put the tomatoes and cucumber out in the garden,  not planted yet, and moved the sweet peas and peppers to the porch for maximum sunshine.

 

The soil was dry on the surface but you can see in the pictures how it's a little darker after scraping the soil to level it at the trellis. The soil in the pots was very dry being mostly peat moss, so I used the existing hose and watered them well and filled the tray as much as possible and poured that on the onions. If all three tomatoes survive and thrive, that is going to be an AMAZING tomato crop this year!

 

 

A second pepper was coming up right next to the shorter seedling so I plucked it while it was still small and just left it on the soil. The lettuces are coming along nicely. Never have had good sprouting with them and of course, it looks like the red lettuce is again the fastest. The larger ones may well be Romaine, will see when they get bigger but at this rate, it's going to be too warm for them when I plant them out, even if they are in the south shady bed. Without a greenhouse situation or even grow lights it's hard to start seeds when it's time in order to plant them out in time.

Looking at previous photos, it took 5 days for those peppers to get from just emerging to that stage. Radishes are about that fast (minor pout about not being able to plant them again this year)

That's all for now, ten days until the end of the month, hope to get soil and plants in the ground next month.

And more sunny days so things can grow!

Mostly clear, breezy and a pale blue sky on the horizon. Perfect and beautiful spring weather! Windows and door are open to let the breeze through (until someone decided to take a nap and closed up the front of the apartment). 

Had to take a picture showing the new spring growth on the tree and realized the branch in the foreground was in an awkward position. Oh well. 

Can hardly see them but the lettuces are sprouting and they're even bigger now. The tiny little jalapeno that started two days ago, completely unfolded in the same day.

You can actually see the two sprouts now and they are getting plenty of light and sun now. The tomatoes are at least 6 inches tall and when they get planted out I'll plant them as deep as possible so the stems are covered.

I had more onion starts to plant so got out yesterday and pulled the six or seven onions that were big enough.

The mesh is keeping the critters out because the uncovered south bed...was menaced. Just a bunch of pocket holes dug so, considering I smelled skunk last night I bet that's who did it.

I watered everything just to keep the onions moist, saw a big grey/black lizard on the wood pile when I swung the hose around to spray down the wood. Also a tiny one about three inches long was out sunning on the sidewalk but skittered way to fast for me to get a picture.

 

How much that oregano has grown! Now, January this year and May of last year. I actually pinched off some stems but then left them on the window ledge and Mr. McFurrybutt sat on them and.... not as organic anymore so had to toss them. More is growing for sure. You can also see the cilantro in the recent photo that is growing inside the border and further back, just outside the border. Go figure. By the time the current crop of onions is ready I'll be able to plant the tomatoes and cucumber, maybe the lettuce. 

Yay for things growing! Wind is blowing, sun is shining!

It's been quite a lull.

 Four days straight of overcast, clouds, rain, wind and cold. A few days on either end of those was just overcast and cold so technically, it's been a week of winter weather. No pictures to show for it because...I never got out without being on the way somewhere. 

The sky yesterday was amazing! Cotton puffy clouds with blue skies, barely a wind and sunshine that only warmed things up to about the low 70's. We have warm sunny weather now to dry out the soil and bring on the weeds. Or seedlings. Off in the distance one of the hills that is in view from my desk chair is now covered in green. What isn't rock and vertical surface is now sprouting 'native' plants like mustard and other things.

The cilantro is coming up wherever the seeds ended up except where I put them. The onions are doing good, I had to move the mesh away from them because they were getting too tall. Time change happened and I've been lagging a lot. Got out yesterday evening and took pictures of what was going on 'out in the wild'.

Meanwhile, I planted mixed lettuce and romaine in the large container four or five days ago and then realizing rain was coming I put another clear plastic container on top making for a nice little greenhouse environment. Tadaaa! They're sprouting! And the second round of Jalapeño seeds are starting to sprout too. That one little looped seedling is moving fast! That picture was taken this morning and it's doubled in size by after noon! Will see if any more decide to sprout as well. I only need about three plants. I messaged my daughter to ask if she had a place to plant the two sweet peas and am waiting on a reply. The tomatoes take precedence over flowers at this point.

I was able to get to Harbor Freight and buy a small tarp to organize this messy corner. Going to check the weather and if it's still going to be sunny and mostly warm tomorrow I'll see what I feel like doing. I know both those buckets have water in the bottom for sure, especially the hose bucket and have to remember to bring something with me for the trash.

 

No chance of getting more soil until next month but that's still okay because the plants aren't ready yet and neither is the weather. The in ground soil that I got before is back to normal price, so will be getting the larger bag of Kellog's hopefully. Need to ask someone to borrow a wagon. Or see if Harbor Freight has one we can afford.